Rubber thread or tubing and process of making same



g- 1941- s. w. ALDERFER 2,251,650

RUBBER THREAD 0R TUBING AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME" Original Filed Nov. '7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l h T k (N tit E N) "x I INVENTOR ATTORNEY g- 5, s. w. ALDERFER 2,251,650

RUBBER THREAD OR TUBING/AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Original Filed Nov. 7, 19,34 2 Sheets-She et 2 INVENTOR I ATTORNEY fiferlin W. Hidevfer Patented Aug. 5, 1941 RUBBER THREAD R TUBING AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME Sterling W. Alder-fer, Akron, Ohio, assignor of one-half to Edward D. Andrews, Akron, Ohio Continuation of application Serial No. 751,857,

November 7, 1934.

This application September 1, 1938, Serial No. 228,011

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of hollow rubber tubing or similar articles directly from dispersions of rubbeneither the natural latex or artificial dispersions of rubber. This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 751,857, filed November '7, 1934.

For carrying out the invention either an unvulcaniz'ed latex may be employed, in which case the product is vulcanized after formation, or a vulcanized latex, in which case the tubing is delivered in completely vulcanized condition. By the use of the process, it is possible to obtain tubing of any desired size or bore and to make a flattened tape or .to form a rubber tape with a selvage edge thereon.

The tubing which is made by the improved method is characterized by the fact that the edges of the tape do not encircle the finished tube in spiral lines, but are parallel with the axis of the tube. This makes a superior article as the grain of the rubber is lengthwise of the tube. The process has advantages in economy of manufacture and flexibility of operation. Rubber tubing may be made by the simple mechanical device illustrated and the operations are easily controlled.

In describing the process and in the claims, the

generic term latex is used to designate the natural latex or an artificial rubber dispersion and is of sufficient breadth to cover these materials whether pre-vulcanized or not.

It will be understood that while the invention is shown in its preferred form, so that one skilled in the art may readily understand and practice it, the invention is not limited or restricted to the operations specifically shown and described, but may be varied within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which the best known method of practicing the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the essential elements of the apparatus illustrating the method for making the round tubing, the making of flattened tubing being shown in dotted line;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-section of the tube taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail plan of the mechanism;

Figure 5 is a cross-section thereof on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

in which a rubber tape -with a rolled selvage edge may be obtained.

In the operation of making tubing by the process shown and described, the latex is applied to a moving member, here shown as an endless belt I, on which it is dried to form a flat tape 2. The method of forming a tape in this fashion is old and well known and the machanism is not shown. The tape is removed from the belt after it has dried sufliciently to be self-sustaining and able to withstand the tension placed upon it during the subsequent steps of the process. The tape is removed from the belt by passing around a cylindrical roll, from whereit is conducted to the turning member, here shown as thevroll 4. This latter roll is provided with a flange 5 which is shown as tapered for the purpose of rolling the tape upon itself. This flange constitutes a memher which is generally oblique to the plane of the tape; so that as the' tape is engaged thereby, it will be rolled from edge to edge.

The roll 3 is mounted on a shaft 6 and is driven just the relative peripheral speeds of'the rolls 3' and 41. It will be observed that the roll 4 is driven at a greater surface speed than the roller 3 so that the tape is stretched longitudinally between 4 the rollers, decreasing its width and consequently the diameter and the bore of the finished tubing.

The roll 4 is adjustable axially by means of the pivoted lever l6, one end of which is formed with a yoke I1 engaging a groove IS in the pulley. The other end of the lever is engaged by a detent 20 so that it may be held in any position of adjustment. The flange 5 may, therefore, be shifted to any position of adjustment with respect to the edge of the tape as it leaves the roll 3. If adjusted rearwardly sufiiciently a flat tape will be secured. As the flange engagesthe tape,

the latter will be turned upon itself, rolling the edge over to form the tube as illustrated by the yond the normal position of the far edge of the tape as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the work is fed toward the roll 4 somewhat obliquely with relation to the margins of the tape and a full rolled tube will be secured. The tape is unconfined during the ruling thereof, and the rolling force is dynamic, and is applied tangentially to the tube in a transverse direction with relation to the feed of the latter; and thereby has little or no retarding effect upon the speed of said feed.

It will be observed that the edges of the tape remain parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube and the tape is not wound helically on itself, but a true folding or turning action is secured with a straight seam down the tube. The tape is sufliciently tacky so that it will adhere to itself. Furthermore, the tape is in tubular form at the time it reaches the roll 4 so that the turning force, applied to the work by the flange 5, is applied tangentially of the tube. Since the tape is unsupported and unconfined between the roll 3 and roll 4, the torque applied to the work at the latter roll is transmitted to the entire unconfined region thereof between said rolls with the result that the near edge of the tape starts its transverse rolling movement as soon as the tape leaves the roll 3, and actual contact of said edge with the turning instrumentality is not required.

If the tube is led out from the roll 4 in a straight or substantially straight line, as shown in full lines in Figure 1, the tubular character of the product will be maintained. If, however, the tube is bent around the roll, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the tube will be flattened out as shown in Figure 6, the air escaping along the tube between the rolls 3 and 4,

It will be seen that tubes of great varieties of diameters and bores may be secured by adjusting the tension from the time the tape leaves the belt I to the completion of the rolling operation, and the extent to which the tape is rolled may be 'varied by the axial adjustment of the roll 4. Flattened, rolled tapes may also be produced in varying widths and thicknesses and, finally, selvage edge tapes may he produced. By the method shown, the tape is rolled while unsupported so that the results secured may always be under control and variable at the will of the operator. The tape is also rolled upon itself under tension (which is also variable) so that the flexibility of the process is assured and the new and beneficial results are obtainable. The operation is simple and effective and does not require skilled. labor or expensive equipment. Other advantages and benefits will be realized by the invention which may be carried on by modified steps and is not confined to the exact procedure outlined. The apparatus may also be varied and altered.

After the product is formed, it may be led directly to any suitable fabricating machinery, such, for example, as a golf ball winding machine or the like. b

What is claimed is:

1. The process of forming hollow tubing which comprises continuously forming a tape of extensible tacky material, feeding said tape longitudinally at differential speeds in local regions of the tape so as to place one region thereof under determinate tension, and applying a dynamic turning force to one side of the tape, in the tensioned region thereof, to roll the tape transversely upon itself from one lateral margin to the other to produce a continuous tube having inner and outer seams that are continuously parallel to the axis of the tube.

2. The process of manufacturing hollow tubing which comprises continuously forming a tape of extensible tacky material, feeding said tape in its tacky state longitudinally at differential speeds in local regions of the tape so as to place one region thereof under determinate tension, and applying a twisting force to the tensioned region of the tape to shape the latter progressively to tubular form and with inner and outer 'seams that are continuously parallel to the axis 1 of the tube, said twisting force being applied tangentially to that region of the tape that has attained tubular form.

3. Thread or tubing consisting of a continuous tape of extensible tacky composition coiled transversely of its length in a plurality of convolutions, the inner and outer margins of the tape being continuously parallel to the axis of the thread or tubing, the convolutions thereof adhering to each other by reason of the tackiness of the composition.

STERLING W. ALDERFER. 

